Question: What is the volume of the region in three-dimensional space defined by the inequalities $|x|+|y|+|z|\le1$ and $|x|+|y|+|z-1|\le1$?
Answer: In the octant where $x \ge 0,$ $y \ge 0,$ and $z \ge 0,$ the inequality $|x| + |y| + |z| \le 1$ becomes
\[x + y + z \le 1.\]Thus, the region in this octant is the tetrahedron with vertices $(0,0,0),$ $(1,0,0),$ $(0,1,0),$ and $(1,0,0).$  By symmetry, the region defined by $|x| + |y| + |z| \le 1$ is the octahedron with vertices $(\pm 1,0,0),$ $(0,\pm 1,0),$ and $(0,0,\pm 1).$  Let the base of the upper-half of the octahedron be $ABCD,$ and let $E = (0,0,1).$

Similarly, the region defined by $|x| + |y| + |z - 1| \le 1$ is also an octahedron, centered at $(0,0,1).$  Let the base of the lower-half of the octahedron be $A'B'C'D',$ and let $E' = (0,0,0).$

[asy]
import three;

size(250);
currentprojection = perspective(6,3,2);

triple A, B, C, D, E, Ap, Bp, Cp, Dp, Ep, M, N, P, Q;

A = (1,0,0);
B = (0,1,0);
C = (-1,0,0);
D = (0,-1,0);
E = (0,0,1);
Ap = (1,0,1);
Bp = (0,1,1);
Cp = (-1,0,1);
Dp = (0,-1,1);
Ep = (0,0,0);
M = (A + E)/2;
N = (B + E)/2;
P = (C + E)/2;
Q = (D + E)/2;

draw(D--A--B);
draw(D--C--B,dashed);
draw(C--E,dashed);
draw(A--M);
draw(M--E,dashed);
draw(B--N);
draw(N--E,dashed);
draw(D--Q);
draw(Q--E,dashed);
draw(Ap--Bp--Cp--Dp--cycle);
draw(Ap--M);
draw(M--Ep,dashed);
draw(Bp--N);
draw(N--Ep,dashed);
draw(Cp--Ep,dashed);
draw(Dp--Q);
draw(Q--Ep,dashed);
draw(Q--M--N);
draw(Q--P--N,dashed);

label("$A$", A, SW);
label("$B$", B, dir(0));
label("$C$", C, S);
label("$D$", D, W);
label("$E$", E, dir(90));
label("$A'$", Ap, dir(90));
label("$B'$", Bp, dir(0));
label("$C'$", Cp, dir(90));
label("$D'$", Dp, W);
label("$E'$", Ep, S);
label("$M$", M, SW);
label("$N$", N, dir(0));
label("$P$", P, NE);
label("$Q$", Q, W);
[/asy]

Faces $ABE$ and $A'B'E'$ intersect in line segment $\overline{MN},$ where $M$ is the midpoint of $\overline{AE},$ and $N$ is the midpoint of $\overline{BE}.$  Thus, the intersection of the two octahedra is another octahedra, consisting of the upper-half of pyramid $ABCDE,$ and the lower-half of pyramid $A'B'C'D'E'.$

The volume of pyramid $ABCDE$ is
\[\frac{1}{3} \cdot (\sqrt{2})^2 \cdot 1 = \frac{2}{3},\]so the volume of its upper half is $\left( \frac{1}{2} \right)^3 \cdot \frac{2}{3} = \frac{1}{12}.$  Then the volume of the smaller octahedron is $\frac{2}{12} = \boxed{\frac{1}{6}}.$